Certain electrical connectors contain an array of electrical contacts having pin sections coextending from a mounting face of the connector to be received into respective through-holes of a circuit element such as a mother board to become electrically connected with circuits of the board. The dielectric housing of the connector includes passageways in which the contacts are respectively retained in selected spacings and positions so that the pin sections coextend in a selected pattern. Such connectors are adapted to be affixed to edges of daughter cards on an opposed or second face of the connector, with the contacts including other contact sections electrically connected to circuits on major surfaces of the daughter card proximate the edge thereof. Many such connectors are of the type including a card-receiving recess thereinto, with the other contact sections disposed along sides of the recess to enter biased engagement with the corresponding card traces, all permitting withdrawal of the card therefrom during unmating. For example, see U.S. Pat. No. 4,077,694.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,409,384 and 5,348,488, is disclosed a connector utilizing an element of flexible film circuitry for electrical interconnection of contacts of the daughter card to contacts of the connector. The dielectric housing has a thin substantially planar body section defining a board-proximate face and a board-remote face, an array of contact members including pin sections coextending from the board-proximate face of the body section to be received into corresponding through-holes of a mother board, and short second pin sections coextending from the board-remote face. The flexible circuit element includes defined thereon an array of circuits extending from termini located in a first interconnecting region associated with the second pin sections in a complementary pattern, along at least one side portion of the element formed upwardly from sides of the housing to contact sections exposed in at least one second interconnection region and associated with an array of circuits disposed on a surface of a daughter card to be interconnected therewith.
The termini include pin-receiving apertures therethrough, so that when the flexible circuit element is properly oriented and its first interconnecting region pressed against the array of second pin sections of the connector contacts, the second pin sections enter through the pin-receiving apertures. With the traces and trace termini defined on the housing-remote surface of the flexible circuit element, the second pin sections protruding above the associated termini can easily be soldered thereto to establish the electrical connections. The side portion or portions of the flexible circuit element is or are then formed upwardly. Potting material is then deposited atop the first interconnecting region to a selected thickness, embedding and sealing and protecting the electrical connections, and also providing a mechanical retention of the flexible circuit element to the connector housing.
In one embodiment of connector disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,384, the flexible circuit element includes opposing side portions upwardly formed for second interconnecting regions on each to oppose each other and define a card-receiving region therebetween, into which an edge of a card is inserted for the traces on both surfaces to be soldered to exposed trace sections of the flexible circuit element. In another embodiment for a connector with fewer contacts, one such side portion and second interconnecting region extends upwardly to be secured to a corresponding surface of a daughter card and the exposed traces soldered to respective traces on that surface. The connectors provide a low profile board-to-board connector adapted for use in very confined spaces especially in a closely spaced array, wherein the electrical connections of the flexible film circuitry to contacts of the connector are sealed for long-term in-service life.